Strategic Retention
In the face of widespread job vacancies and burnout across the healthcare sector, this article emphasizes the critical importance of strategic thinking in the recruitment and retention of staff.
With the increasing scopes of practice across provinces, the intense challenges faced by the entire health system, and the reported levels of burnout in healthcare, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised by the staggering number of job postings in the market. On an almost weekly basis I am getting phone calls from practices looking for advice on how to recruit new staff and how to survive without them in the meantime. Many who were blindsided when their best staff chose to leave.
While some practices focus on how to serve new patients, grow their count and professional services, and thrive as a small business, others are just trying to make it through the day. The last thing they want to talk about is more business as they are struggling to clear the queue and go home on time.
Usually when I talk about strategy with business owners, I try to get them to think about their value proposition to clients. What makes them so special that patients should choose them as their provider?
If your practice is currently recruiting, if you anticipate needing a succession plan soon, or if you want to prevent your best people from leaving – I encourage you to apply strategic thinking to recruitment and retention of your staff.
The subject in the question around strategy changes, but the core question stays the same:
Why should a talented healthcare professional choose to practice in your practice instead of another?
We must remember that our workplaces are filled with humans. They are showing up, as best as they can, to do important but difficult work. Are we listening? Are we hearing the space between their words, the body language, the tone, the patterns in their dialogue and their stories about what it feels like to work there?
The time for years of service pins, gifts, and even in many cases financial bonuses are outdated. They aren’t large enough motivators anymore to engage new generations of healthcare workers. We need to ask better strategic questions when it comes to recruiting and retaining a talented team.
Here are 5 key reflection questions for you to ponder about your practice:
To what extent does your team feel they have the support and environment they need to succeed?
Would your employees report that their physical needs are being met at work?
What would your employees say if they were asked about psychological safety in your workplace?
Are your best performers rewarded with more work such as taking on a student or championing a new program?
How much autonomy does your team have in their professional roles and what systems do you have in place for them to practice in ways that are meaningful to them?
Don’t wait until your best team members leave to work through these difficult questions. Building a strong organizational culture and an engaged workforce is a huge part of running a practice and one that needs relentless commitment. If you have amazing people in your practice today, take a few moments in the next couple of weeks and ask them “What makes you want to stay?”.
Learning about what motivates and drives your team, what they care about most, and what you are doing right already will do more for your practice than the “too little too late” exit survey on their way out the door.
What actionable steps can you take this month to make sure you won’t be shocked if your best people decide to leave?
Adapted for general health practices from publications written for Pharmacy Practice + Business magazine:
https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/how-be-strategic-about-staff-retention